Road Out Of Hell
by potterplotter666
Summary: Part one of 'the inheritance' series. Harry is found innocent after spending 5 years in Azkaban, but the Harry that went in is not that same that came out. This story deals with Harry's newfound powers and inheritance. Manipulative!Dumbledore Dark!Harry


**authors note: currently looking for someone to help me with my terrible grammar and punctuation. i need help badly as you can see.**

**thank you all for the favs and follows means a lot to me for this is my first story.**

Part One of The Inheritance

Albus Dumbledore sat in the back of a rather small rickety wooden boat, lost in his owns thoughts as it glided smoothly across the black water towards the dreaded island prison, Azkaban. It had been 5 years since he himself had ventured to the island, accompanied by a confused and emotionless young boy. A boy he had left there to die.

Harry potter had just turned 16 when he had been convicted and sentenced to life in Azkaban for the murder of his remaining family. The trial had lasted only two days due to the weak defense while the ministry provided witness after witness testifying against Harry, telling everyone how much he hated the Durselys for how they treated him. Even his two best friends testified against him. But it was Dumbledore that added the finishing touch, with his testimony of Harry's decreasing mental state and actions towards the end of the school year, and what happened in the Department of Mysteries, where Harry's Godfather was killed.

Dumbledore himself had been the one to find Harry that day. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, while the cold bodies of the Durselys lay before him. The blood had soaked into the carpet so, that when you walked it pooled around your feet.

He called the Aurors to investigate the scene while he tried to talk to Harry, but Harry would not say a word. Even through the trial and the journey to Azkaban where prisoners are normally most vocal, Harry did not speak. The entire magical community had taken his silence as a sign of his guilt and further evidence of his madness. It was not until yesterday that they had discovered the muggle police had solved the murder years ago when a young man by the name of Malcolm Jones, a child of one of the Durselys neighbors confessed to the crime. They immediately petitioned for Harry's release, but after 5 years in Azkaban he worried what state Harry would be in. As the boat neared the shore, he looked around at who had accompanied him. Ron and Hermione were leaning against each other for support while Remus was berating himself for ever thinking Harry could commit such a terrible act. Severus was leaning against the bow of the ship, His eyes locked onto the large mass. When news of Harry's crime spread, Snape was one of the very few who did not believe he did it,

When he learned of his innocence he immediately started making plans to "get potter out of that hell hole". The old mage turned his gaze back towards their destination, wondering how he was ever going to face the boy he once considered his grandson.

Soon they had reached the shore; they disembarked the boat and started to make their way up towards the bleak gates. The closer they moved towards the prison, the colder it became. "Severus, will you please?"

Snape pointed his wand away from his body "Expecto Patronum"

A brilliant white light started to slowly stream from the tip of his wand and coalesced a few feet in front of him. As the Patronus slowly solidified into its true form, Hermione gasped "It's a doe, Harry's mother's Patronus was a doe"

Snape looked back as a single tear slid down his cheek then continued on. When they reached the courtyard Dumbledore heard a familiar voice

"Headmaster?" five heads swiftly spun around at the sound of a new voice. "What are you doing here?" the man asked in confusion. He seemed to be in his mid to late forties, Medium build with sandy blond hair. His features would probably be considered handsome if he got away from the Dementors long enough.

"Ah, John, it is good to see you! My friends, this is John Raul, the assistant warden. John, this is Remus Lupin, Ronald and Hermione Weasley and I believe you are familiar with Severus Snape." Dumbledore greeted kindly.

"It's good to see you to." John replied paying the others no mind but instead focusing solely on Dumbledore. "I'm sorry but we weren't notified that you would be coming, had I known I would have met you at the shore." With a gentle probe around the man's considerable mental shields he could clearly see that the man was genuinely confused and he wondered why the ministry had not sent word that they were coming and more specifically, why they were coming.

"It is quite alright, my boy, we managed."

"Alright, well, what can I do for you?"

"We have come bearing a full pardon and release orders for Harry James Potter!" At the man's shell-shocked appearance, he elaborated. "Evidence was recently discovered that cleared him of all charges." He explained with remorse and pain etched into every word. After reading over the release forms, John quickly agreed to lead them to Harry's cell

As they navigated the many passages and corridors they were blessed with only a few meetings with the Dementors but the Patronus shielded them all from any adverse effects.

Ron, Hermione and Remus were almost huddled together while only his pride kept Snape from joining them.

" Come, we better hurry. I don't know why but Potter has had a worse than any other prisoner here. Even the ones that have been here for decades."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked in alarm

"You must see for yourself." John said with a sigh after a moment of trying to find the right words had failed. After leading the group halfway down the corridor that was full of Dementors, they came upon a solitary heavy iron door with nothing but a small safe-like door in the center that was used for occasional checks on the prisoner.

And everyone else was greatly surprised to see that Harry was being held in one of the most secure cells that Azkaban housed. Not even Sirius Black had been held under such heavy guard during his imprisonment and he was considered the most dangerous prisoner ever held in the infamous prison before his name was cleared just a few short weeks after his death

John placed his right hand flat against the cool iron of the door as the wards read his magical signature. At the same time he mumbled a very long phrase that obviously was some sort of password and probably sought out voice recognition as well as the actual words. When finished he stood back and a moment later a deep creaking sound echoed in the dank stone corridor as the door began to budge. With loud pops, rust shot out from the hinges, giving a clear indication of how long it had been since that very door had been opened. Harry's friends were not prepared for the sight that lay before them.

The cell itself was only a four by six foot box that looked more like a dilapidated broom closet than any place that was meant to house a human being. The walls, floor and ceiling were all made of rough concrete and were all bare with the exception of a single thin woven straw mat they lay on the floor to serve as some form of bed and a bucket. Everyone even Snape who was used to spending long hours slaving over some of the most noxious concoctions known to man, gasped and quickly covered his mouth and nose against the stench that permeated the cell. However, the only thing more shocking than the conditions was the young man that was forced to endure them.

Harry Potter lay upon the thick matted moleskin coat that Hagrid had draped across his shoulders as he was led out of the courtroom on the day of his conviction. Even with the loud sobs of the first friend he ever had, Harry made no indication that he even realized where he was or understood the events going on around him. On a whole he had grown very little in The five years that he had spent in Azkaban, probably due to the lack of proper nourishment and being enclosed in so small a place. From his position on the floor he still appeared to be just about five and a half feet tall and was painfully thin. Through the tattered fabric of his clothes you could easily make out the shape of his ribs and the skin on his arms and legs appeared to literally sag off of his bones. Even with these images burned into their minds forever nothing could have prepared them for the look on the young man's face.

His normally messy black hair was now very long and matted, covered in dirt and grim and even a bit of his own blood. Like the rest of his body his face had lost a considerable amount of weight and his cheekbones and jaw now stuck out like a sore thumb while his eyes seemed to have a sunken look to them as if they had been pushed further into his skull. But it was what these eyes contained that was truly frightening. The dull green orbs that once shined brightly and sparkled with so much life and compassion now seemed dead and unfocused. If it were not for the fact that they could clearly hear him breathing in short shallow gasps, each one of them would have rightfully believed that he had been dead for some time.

Hermione burst into tears and Ron grew pale at the sight of their former best friend while Remus slumped to the floor with a cry that sound as if it came from some wounded animal, not a man. Snape quickly rushed to the boy's side as Dumbledore spoke urgently with John.

"How did this happen and why has he been left in the high security lock up for so long?" He asked gravely.

"He was first brought to this cell only a month after he first arrived to the island. He hasn't uttered a word since before his trial but while he is asleep he will often go into fits as if he is having some particularly disturbing dreams or visions. When the healers arrived for their monthly rounds he was asleep when they entered his cell and began running their tests, then all of a sudden his eyes snapped open and he saw himself surrounded by people and attacked. Two of the healers and three guards were injured before we could stun him. He was brought down here immediately afterwards."

"You don't sound as if you were surprised. In fact you sound like you pity him." Snape commented with a sneer as he continued to check the boy. John sighed deeply before answering.

"Yes, I do. You can't work here for long without learning how to feel pity. I saw his eyes when he first awoke and saw the healers. They held pure terror, as if he believed Death had come for him. Whatever he see's in his dreams has obviously taken its toll on him and the presence of so many Dementors has not helped that fact. He has hardly moved in years and the house elves that are employed to force feed the prisoners that have been given the Kiss have been forced to do the same for him, otherwise he would have died long ago." He finished sadly but his explanation left them all confused about many things.

"If he has been incapacitated in such a way for so long then why has he spent those years locked up so securely?" Remus snapped at the man.

"After the attack on the healers he was brought down here like any other prisoner would, but after his month of confinement was up Minister Fudge ordered that he be confined indefinitely in the high security block to insure the safety of himself and everyone else. Chief Warden Daniels agreed without question." The assistant warden replied. It was clear by his tone that he had absolutely no respect for his superior who had not even been to the prison in years. Preferring to remain in his office in the Ministry while his assistant is forced to carry out all of his duties as well as his own. Dumbledore growled in disgust and was about to go on some rant about Fudge's apparent incompetence but was cut off by Snape.

"Albus, we have to get Potter to the hospital wing now!" Snape nearly shouted to get the old man's attention.

"Is he going to be alright?" Hermione asked in a meek voice, to which Snape simply replied by giving the girl a glare that clearly asked, 'are you kidding?' Physically he was a mess but the emotional strain of those he knew and loved condemning him to hell on earth would far exceed any physical scars. 'Stupid girl.' He thought to himself as he pulled out his wand and leveled it at Harry.

"That won't work!" John suddenly spoke up drawing curious and confused looks towards him. "Part of the new fortifications is some new and more powerful magical ward working as a magical suppressor shield. Unless we are under attack no magic can be performed in the cells or corridors unless you are temporarily keyed into the wards and that only happens when the healers or visitors come. I can't even perform magic here on a regular basis anymore and I run this place." He informed them with annoyance in his voice. Snape growled in frustration and turned to Remus.

"Lupin, help me get the boy up!" He ordered. Remus, being so concerned for Harry didn't even blink at his school boy enemy giving him orders. After all, Snape believed in harry's innocence when nearly everyone else, including himself, did not. So who was he to argue? Each man put one of Harry's arms across their shoulders and easily hoisted him off the ground. Even with their knowledge of his physical condition both men were extremely shocked at how little he weighed. Their fifteen minute journey back to the front gate was strangely dementor free. Not that they were complaining. Everyone breathed a large sigh of relief as they exited the prison and they heard the massive front gates shut behind them. As they made there way towards the boat Dumbledore rushed ahead and grabbed one of the oars. As he returned to the group he placed several charms on it making it a portkey.

"Alright everyone grab on, i'm going to port us straight into the hospital wing!" he said as he extended the oar to full length. It took a while but finally he managed to get everyone positioned to where they could all touch the portkey before he activated it.

Three Weeks Later

Ginny Weasely was hopeful today as she walked into St. Mungo's. the doctors had told her that harry's vital signs were improving, and his brain waves were showing increasing activity. they still didn't know if he was going to wake up soon, but the chances were increasing everyday. but as she got closer to harry's room a feeling of hopelessness grew inside her.

"he's not going to wake up, and even if he did he wouldn't be My Harry" she thought to herself 'My Harry' she had started of think of him like that since he had come back. she had been visiting him everyday, often falling asleep by his bedside. she reached his room and let herself inside.

"Hey Harry, how are you today. Well that's good, mum's okay so is dad" she proceeded to tell him about her day and how everyone is. she drew a chair up next to his bed and looked at him. the longer she gazed on his withered body the larger the despair she felt grew. while he had put on weight since he had been admitted, harry was still bone thin.

"oh who am i kidding, your never going to wake up" she said as her voice cracked. she buried her face in the mattress and began to cry.

Harry's mind came back online in a rush of activity. One minute he wasn't aware of anything; the next, his circuits started firing again. He didn't know where he was, and his eyelids were too heavy to open. he could hear someone crying, his eyes felt like they were being held down by weights but he managed to drag them open and look down.

_ Ginny_

She was right beside him, sitting in a chair, her head down on the bed as if she were asleep. he wanted to touch her. Needed to. he needed to know this was real and not a dream. He tried to reach out with his free hand, but his arm felt like it weighed four hundred pounds. He struggled, willing the limb across his body, dragging it over the bed covers inch by inch. He didn't know how long it took. Maybe hours. But then he finally touched a lock of her hair. The silken feel of it was a miracle. He was alive, this was real. Harry started to cry.

The instant Ginny felt the bed shudder, she looked up in a panic, fearing something was wrong with Harry. The first thing she saw was Harry's hand. His fingers were wrapped around a long strand of her hair. She looked up at his haggard face. Tears were rolling out of his eyes."Harry!." She leaned up to him, smoothed his hair back. He was totally distressed. "Are you hurting?" He opened his mouth. Nothing came out. He started to panic, his eyes peeling open until the whites showed. "Easy, take it easy. Just relax," she said. "I want you to squeeze my hand, once for yes, twice for no. Are you in pain?" No. She gently stroked the tears from his gaunt cheeks. "Are you sure?" Yes. "Do you want me to get the doctors?" No. "Do you need anything?" Yes. "Food? Drink?" No. He began to get agitated, his wild eyes imploring her. "Shhh, it's okay." She kissed his forehead. "Just calm down. We'll figure out what you need. We've got plenty of time." His eyes fixated on their linked hands and came back to her face. Then his gaze locked on their hands and returned again. "Me?" she whispered. "You need me?" He squeezed and wouldn't stop. "Oh, Harry… You have me. We're together, i'm not going anywhere." Tears poured out of him in a mad rush, his chest quaking from the sobs, his breathing jagged and raw.

She took his face in his hands, trying to soothe him. "It's all right. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to leave you. I promise you." Eventually he relaxed a little. The tears slowed. A croak came out of his mouth. "What?" She leaned down. "missed.. you..." "oh, harry i missed you too. i missed you so much." His lips trembled. "Love. You." Ginny froze, surely she misheard him. "say.. say that again." she whispered " i. love. you." he croaked "I.. i love you too." "cant. keep. eyes. open." And then he closed his eyes from exhaustion. Her vision went blurry as she put her hand over her mouth and started to smile. Her Harry was back and he loved her. Ginny left to tell the nurse that he woke up.

"Kaitlin, you'll never guess what just happened!" "why, is something wrong with him?" "no, he woke up. like full on conscious, talking woke up." "well that's amazing! we have to run some tests..." suddenly a nurse came barreling out of harry's room "We need help in here!" all of the nurses in the hall rushed into harry's room with Ginny right behind them. harry was flailing on the bed, the covers had been thrown off of him as the nurses tried to hold his arms and legs down. "HARRY!" Ginny screamed as she tried to rush to his side. "Jesus Christ will somebody get her out of here" one of the nurses ordered. two people stepped against her and started to drag her out of the room. "HARRY! no let me go, HARRY!"

suddenly harry's eyes slammed open and the nurses holding him were all thrown back by some invisible force. "YOU DO NOT TOUCH HER!" Harry commanded in a deep, powerful voice. as his gaze locked onto the two nurses holding her, the green eyes so recently filled with love and compassion, blazed with hatred, the new life in them illuminating the room. his arm shot out towards her as a bright green light started to pulse within his hand. "RELEASE HER!" and the light shot out of his fingers, throwing all of the nurses back and holding them against the wall. "GINNY, COME TO ME" he said while not looking away from what he perceived as a threat.

Ginny quickly hurried over and grabbed hold of him "IF ANYONE DARES TOUCH HER AGAIN, I SWEAR BY THE MAGIC FLOWING THROUGH MY VEINS. I WILL TEAR YOU APART AND FEED YOU TO INFERI!"

"hey, hey its okay harry, you can let them go now. you saved me" Ginny said trying to reason with whatever had possessed him. his eyes turned to her face and dulled a little. "i didn't want him to take you from me again" harry said in his normal voice as a tear slid down his cheek. "i know its okay now though, you can let them go" oh what had happened to him there, Ginny thought to herself. slowly, harry lowered his arm and whatever force seemed to be holding the nurses dissipated. then as quick as it came the light in harry's eyes went out and his body started to shake as he had a seizure. "hurry, help him" the nursing staff rushed over but were careful not to touch Ginny. "ma'am we need you to leave" Ginny realising they needed her out of the way, left the room and waited in the hall

an hour later the nurses filed out of the room, all of them giving her strange looks. Kaitlin was the last out, she stopped in front of her

"hes stable, for now." Ginny looked up at her and was surprised at the fear that filled her eyes " Ginny... what was that!"

"i have no idea he could do that Kaitlin, i'm just as surprised as you" Ginny said.

"well we have to figure out what it was, i'm going to contact the minister.."

"No!, harry has just woken up for the first time after being locked in hell for the last five years. what he does not need right now is a bunch of people poking and prodding him to find out why he is like he is! what he needs is his family, the people who love him, to be there. i need you to keep this a secret from anyone at the ministry until we can get him better, can you do that for me?" Kaitlin looked away, as if she was considering the favor.

"fine. but just until he is better, then i'm going to the ministry!" Kaitlin said as she stormed off down the corridor. Ginny got up and walked into harry's room. after checking on him to make sure he was resting peacefully, she took a notepad out of her bag and scribbled down a note

Professor Dumbledore

i cant explain right now, but you need to contact the order and tell them to get harry out of here. ill explain later.

Ginny

she folded the note into a paper airplane and enchanted it to fly to Hogwarts. she walked over and opened the window. after she threw the plane she walked back over and sat in the chair beside harry's bed, determined not to leave him until the order arrivee.

"Weasely?, Weasely wake up" she opens her eyes to find both Moody and Kingsley standing over harry's bed. "come on were getting him out of here. Kingsley levitate him"

"Wingardium Leviosa" whispered Kingsley with his wand pointed towards harry. but to his surprise nothing happened.

"kingsley, what is taking so long?" demanded Moody

"i dont know!" he then tried several other spells, but to no avail "Alistar, i can't get any spell to work on him"

"fine well just levitate the bed"

"i have an idea" they both looked at Ginny. "why don't we just dissaperate out?"

"she's got a point Alistar" added Kingsley

"fine Kingsley you pick him up" after they had harry, Moody grabbed onto all three of them and relocated them all to the hospital wing at hogwarts.


End file.
